I STATE AND OTHER FORESTS OF FRANCE. 97 



merchant bids so much per cent, above the valuation, and the 

 highest bidder obtains the wood. Trees to be felled in the 

 thinnings are marked by the sub-inspector with a cross. After 

 some progress has been made in a thinning, the brigadier is 

 allowed to mark more trees if he thinks necessary. 



In making thinnings, suppressed beech and hornbeam under 

 beech must be removed, but if under oak they should be left to 

 shelter the ground and force up the oak. All trees threatening 

 the oak must also be felled, as well as all dead and dying trees. 

 Comparatively large beech, which are the result of not cutting 

 back the advance growth in regeneration fellings of a score or 

 more years ago, are also felled, and the number of hornbeam 

 is reduced as much as possible. Better care is now taken to cut 

 back all advance growth. Thinnings of all kinds are marked 

 over one-fifth of each periodic block in June, whilst the foliage 

 is on the trees, and the felling is commenced in the following 

 October. Each periodic block, except those that are being 

 regenerated, is divided into thinning areas, each one-fifth of the 

 block, and two of these are thinned annually in each working- 

 section. 



As a thinning in a fairly old wood is practically a preparatory 

 felling, preparation for the seeding felling should be borne in mind. 



All beech and hornbeam wood up to one metre (40 ins.) in 

 girth is considered as firewood, and above one metre as timber. 



In the principal fellings (other than thinnings) a certain pro- 

 portion of the volume of wood fixed by the working-plan is felled. 

 The volume is obtained by measuring all trees in the oldest age- 

 class, this measurement being revised every ten years. As a 

 result of the last revision, in 1902, the quantity of wood fixed to 

 be felled annually throughout the forest in the principal fellings is 

 36,618 cubic metres, being 46-2 cubic feet per acre. Thinnings 

 are also made annually over 1750 acres, and yield 28,536 cubic 

 metres, or 35 cubic feet per acre for the whole high forest. 

 Hence the total volume of wood felled annually is 81*2 cubic feet 

 (actual contents) per acre for the high forest. The coppice yields 

 about 4240 cubic metres annually, or 35 cubic feet per acre. 



Composition and Character of Forest Growth. 



In some parts of the wood large beech standards still remain, 

 but are now being cut out, after which the Tir et Aire system 

 will be entirely superseded. It is partly owing to these trees 



VOL. XVIII. G 



